A life in words

  • Quote: Meaning, Grace, and Fulfillment

    In the end, the number of prayers we say may contribute to our happiness, but the number of prayers we answer may be of even greater importance. Let us open our eyes and see the heavy hearts, notice the loneliness and despair; let us feel the silent prayers of others around us, and let us…

  • The Sign at 37 Rue de la Bûcherie

    Paris Wall Newspaper January 1st 2004 Some people call me the Don Quixote of the Latin Quarter because my head is so far up in the clouds that I can imagine all of us are angels in paradise, and instead of being a bonafide bookseller I am more like a frustrated novelist store has rooms…

  • Wasn’t Me

    Accusations are being made (ahem… Gabe!) and it’s time to defend myself: no, I did not pretend to be out of the state in order to turn the thermostat down undetected and rob my beloved roommate of sleep. I suspect either an infestation of common thermostat gnomes, or perhaps a conspiracy by the management in…

Of a commonwealth, whose subjects are but hindered by terror from taking arms, it should rather be said, that it is free from war, than that it has peace. For peace is not mere absence of war, but is a virtue that springs from force of character….Baruch Spinoza, Tractatus Theologico-Politicus V.4, 1670, trans. A. H. Gosset 1883